New consultancy launched to help dealers and OEMs improve performance

A new consultancy has been launched by three experienced, senior automotive experts to help dealers and OEMs identify opportunities and develop strategies to improve performance.

Maven Place, which consists of Shaun Wootton, Vicki Little and Darren Hedderman, will focus on identifying and understanding the challenges and opportunities that dealers and OEMs face to help them improve financial performance, optimise dealer networks, achieve business growth and facilitate a profitable exit plan.

Shaun Wootton, partner at Maven Place, said: “The automotive industry is experiencing unprecedented transformation, which brings with it both challenges and opportunities, and we recognise the difficulties in successfully managing change, particularly in a business sector that is complex and demanding.”

The Maven Place team has combined over 70 years’ experience in the automotive industry, working with OEMS, Dealer Groups and Industry Partners across car launches, new car sales, used car sales, finance, corporate sales, service, parts and trade parts.

Maven Place will work alongside the MHA Automotive Advisory team led by Steve Freeman, partner and head of Automotive and MHA Consulting at MHA MacIntyre Hudson.

Wootton has over 30 years’ experience working for OEMs in a range of recent roles at national level including Honda UK, where he was manager of national franchising and manager of leasing and contract hire.

He was also dealer car performance manager at Volvo Car UK.

With over 22 years of strategic marketing experience in the industry, Little was previously managing director of an automotive marketing and business consultancy, Feisty Consultancy.

Previously, Little has held the position of board director at an automotive marketing agency, working with Porsche, IM Group and dealer groups. She was also group account director on the BMW account at HPS Group, account director on BMW corporate sales, BMW aftersales and Honda dealer marketing and marketing manager at Dutton Forshaw.

Hedderman has over 20 years’ experience in the automotive sector, specialising in the optimisations of networks, having held the position of European network planning manager at Urban Science, where he was responsible for the delivery of network planning projects across Europe, working with European head offices of major automotive manufacturers.